During the hybrid 2020-2021 school year, Covid-19 regulations and the classification of students as being in the “red” or “gold” group separated friends and disrupted social norms. The Fine Arts Department was no stranger to the effects of the pandemic. As a result of this separation, groups like the Angelaries and Divine Strings would practice every day despite missing a significant number of members. Nonetheless, they tried to find times when all students could come together: the Angelaries practiced after school, and the full Orchestra would gather at school on late start days. As select groups that require auditions for admission, the Angelaries and Divine Strings perform many times throughout the year, often at places beyond DSHA. Many of these performances were canceled during the 2020-2021 school year, so Mr. Eagon and Mr. Ziegler launched the first ever “fall concert” to give their groups a chance to perform the songs they had been perfecting. 

In early October 2020, the first fall concert took place in a tent in the back DSHA parking lot. The theme of Alone Together perfectly encapsulated the atmosphere as students reunited for the first time, and parents arrived with lawn chairs and masks. Mr. Ziegler recalls the event as “surreal but exciting.” He added, “I was so glad to find an opportunity for families to hear their students sing in-person.” 

Fast forward to our current 2022-2023 school year when Divine Strings and the Angelaires put on the third annual fall concert. Now situated in the theater, the event has grown massively, but it still reinforces the same values of community and hard work that inspired the original. 

The Angelaires and Divine Strings began to hone their performances in the first few days of school. Angelaires’ October offering centered around the captivating idea that throughout life’s highs and lows, we are faced with the decision to “choose fear or love,” as Mr. Ziegler puts it. 

This idea began with inspiration from the song “Louder Than Words,” which is one of the most popular songs from the 2021 film, tick, tick…BOOM!, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The song “Louder Than Words” conveys the moment when main character Jonathan Larson determines that one must act to express true feelings of love. Within life, it is inevitable that tragedies will strike us down, but what matters is how we choose to respond to those struggles. We have the power to live in fear or to use our passion to transcend hardship.

To mirror the choice between fear or love, the Angelaires performed songs such as “Back Pocket” and “I Want You Back,” songs reflective of the alluring nature of schoolyard love and yearning. According to Angelaire President Caelinn Carraher, the Angelaires’ collective favorite song was “Your Song” by Elton John. 

Divine Strings experimented with several messages in their performance, further interpreting stories of fear and love. They played a wide array of genres, including the classical piece Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, “A Thousand Years” from the Twilight soundtrack, a jazz trio of George Gershwin songs, and the beloved tune “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. The group used this concert as an opportunity to practice their technique and to show off all their hard work from the first quarter. 

Whether through an upbeat dance routine or a classical interlude, the Fine Arts Department continues to bring joy to the DSHA community. Without the trials of separation of previous years, the Angelaries and Divine Strings may not have delivered such emotionally resonant performances. 

Make sure to check the DSHA calendar for more performances from the Angelaries and from Divine Strings as they celebrate the holiday season. After such a wonderful Fall Concert, they are poised to impress audiences yet again.